Well the New Year’s weekend came and went, and my son is even now lying in my bed watching his favorite Upside Down Show episodes on Nick Jr. as he drifts off to sleep (hopefully). As a quick side note to Viacom’s confidence, there was a show you should have continued to make. With all the sounds effects and high energy, it actually seems to appeal more to little boys rather than little girls. It’s less about the little ones finding ways to express their emotions and more about playing, making noise and generally having fun. It’s kind of a nice change of programming for the dad of a child who’s all boy!
Putting the review aside for now however, when Saturday morning rolled around and I still had all my cable channels, I assumed that some kind of agreement had been reached between Suddenlink and Viacom, or shortly would be. I wouldn’t have to wait long for confirmation of my suspicions. The cable company sent out an e-mail to subscribers on Saturday afternoon explaining that they had “reached an agreement in principle on a long-term contract.” Obviously the details of the terms were not listed in the e-mail, but they did announce that Viacom’s new on demand, on line movie service would be available to Suddenlink customers, as well as the existing networks customers have come to expect. To their credit, Suddenlink cable also promised that there would not be changes to the promised rate adjustments. Instead the cable provider will simply eat the added cost for their standard services. The recent communication did not stipulate how long the company would be willing to take that hit but I would presume that at some point they will have to raise their rates. For the time being at least, it sounds like they will remain the same. Furthermore, Suddenlink customers will have the option of whether or not to opt out of Viacom’s new movies on demand service.
At the end of day I am glad the companies were able to hash out an agreement, even though I think Viacom’s methods don’t serve the public’s interest. I realize they’re not running a non- profit organization, but I find that the company’s lack of concern for customer satisfaction speaks rather loudly. All that aside, at least we will still have access to Nick Jr. and syndicated episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond.
